Whitecaps FC Residency teams brave cold, fill the net

VANCOUVER, BC – On a snowy Saturday afternoon, Whitecaps FC Residency teams hosted Real So Cal Academy. The ‘Caps U-18s finished with a 3-3 draw while the U-16s ended the day with a 4-1 victory.

U-18

Coming off of a strong performance in Portland last weekend, Whitecaps FC U-18s looked to keep the momentum going back in home territory.

Ali Musse got things going for the Blue and White, scoring in the 41st minute after timing a fine run into the box to head in a cross from Matthew Chow. The first half would end with the home side up 1-0.

The second half began with the 'Caps doubling their lead, as Chow took it upon himself, cutting into the box and firing home a shot past the goalkeeper to put his squad up 2-0.

But the match was far from over. In a span of seven minutes midway through the second half, Real So Cal tallied a pair of goals to tie things up at 2-2 heading into the final 15 minutes.

Working hard to get the result they desired, Whitecaps FC retook the lead on 85 minutes as Dario Zanatta was fed a ball in the box and struck a shot into the back of the net to make it 3-2.

It was not to be for the home side on this day though, as Real So Cal found another equalizer in the final minute of play to give each team a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw.

“We don’t feel that we met the performance standards that w e set for ourselves last week," U-18 assistant coach Steve Meadley told whitecapsfc.com. "But he best part about this is that we get tomorrow to improve our performances, and we're fully confident that the boys will do just that.”

Included in the lineup was new arrival Chris Serban, a defender from Calgary Chinooks soccer club. Notably missing from the match was centre back Jackson Farmer, who has graduated from the Residency program and gone on loan to Whitecaps FC affiliate and United Soccer Leagues (USL) PRO side Charleston Battery. Farmer has been with Whitecaps FC Residency since 2011 and this season has started all 15 of his appearances with on goal.

“Everybody is happy and we're excited to see Jackson take the next step in his professional career,” Meadley told whitecapsfc.com. “That’s we do in the Residency program, prepare boys for that next step and we wish him all the best. We definitely feel that he’s ready for that and I’m sure he’ll rise to the challenge.”

Whitecaps FC U-16 continued their momentum from their strong performance in last week’s victory over Portland Timbers as they took their match against Real So Cal by a score of 4-1.

The two squads battled on a cold SFU pitch, which had just been cleaned up from the past week's snow fall. The ‘Caps were the first to strike on 13 minutes, as Daniel Sagno scored his first of two goals on the night, bringing his season total to six and putting his squad up 1-0.

After Real So Cal tied the match up on 31 minutes, Whitecaps FC quickly responded with two goals in a matter of seven minutes. First it was Sagno bagging his second, followed by Kadin Chung to make it 3-1 at the break.

The ‘Caps seemed to use their home turf to their advantage as they gave their Southern Californian counterparts all sorts of difficulties in the snowy Saturday afternoon conditions. Rounding out the scoing was ddefender Andre Baires, who put in the exclamation point on 79 minutes to put the game out of reach as the Blue and White cruised to a 4-1 win.

“It was probably an intimidating environment for a Southern Californian team," U-16 head coach Rich Fagan told whitecapsfc.com. "We took advantage of the local conditions. Overall, we're happy with the pressure we put on and how difficult we made the afternoon for Real So Cal.”